SA kendoka ready for World Champs

It is all about proving South Africa is as good as the rest, for two local kendoka heading to the World Kendo Championships in Korea Republic.

Brendan Dateling of Emmarentia will compete in his third World Championships in September, and will captain South Africa this year. And Matthew Price from Greenside will compete in his second World Championships.

The two said South Africa had not done well in recent international events. They believe that although SA is not quite on par with the best countries in the world, we are not that far off either. “We want to prove South African kendo is at a high level. We are catching up with the best,” said Dateling.

Price said he wants to ‘lift South African kendo’ and ‘help showcase South Africa’s kendo skills’.

The teams in the groups have not been revealed yet but the SA team coach, Michael Grice, said his main goal is to progress out of the group stage into the knock-out stages. “We have been pushing our fitness because kendo uses lots of energy,” he said.

“As you can see, we run and scream while fighting, and have to control our breathing.

“We have also worked on attacking and counterattacking techniques and having a complete mindset.” He explained that this ranges from being aware of the size of an international kendo court to preparing mentally for the large crowds and the way international referees might oversee games.

Simply put, kendo is a traditional Japanese martial art that utilises the samurai fighting style but with a bamboo sword, called a shinai, and protective armour.

Points can only be scored during a fight when one kendoka strikes another with a killing blow, that is to the head, neck, wrist or stomach.

Also see: VIDEO: Become a modern samurai at the Shi Hoko Kendo Dojo in Olivedale 

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